>
>
> > Chinese grafting tools... the flexibility of the little plastic shaped
> part that scoop up the larvae is critically important

Depending upon the manufacturer, be prepared to discard a proportion of
poorly-constructed tools.  Flexibility and alignment of the tool's tongue
is critical.  I put mine into my mouth for a minute to soften before
grafting.


> >if conditions are dry
>
In my dry climate, humidity in the grafting room is far more important than
temperature.  We use misters and damp towels to keep the grafting frame and
grafted cells under high humidity at all times.

>
> >feed just a wee bit of syrup 3 to 5 days ahead of grafting to the queen
> mother hive.

Since nurses don't normally completely cover the cell bottom of L1 larvae
with jelly, you want to ensure optimal nutrition, and an abundance of
nurses in your queen mother colony.  Not just nectar/syrup, but also fresh
pollen/pollen sub.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html